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Cancer registrars throughout the world will join their colleagues, fellow medical professionals, and community leaders to observe the 25th annual National Cancer Registrars Week (NCRW), April 5–9, 2021. The 2021 theme, Cancer Registrars: The Driving Force of Cancer Data, reflects the critical role cancer registrars play in capturing data that informs cancer prevention and screening programs, treatment, and research.
“Quality cancer data is central to the nation’s fight against cancer, and cancer registrars are the first link in capturing that data. National Cancer Registrars Week provides an opportunity to acknowledge the central role registrars play. These health information professionals capture the data that guides the work of oncologists, researchers, and public health officials to ensure the best possible outcomes for cancer patients,” says NCRA President Nadine R. Walker, MS, CTR.
Cancer registrars are data information specialists who collect and code patient-level data for cancer registries. The registries provide essential information to health care providers and health officials so they can monitor and improve cancer treatment, conduct research, and target cancer prevention and screening programs.
Cancer registrars work in a variety of cancer treatment and research settings, managing a plethora of patient data. The information is submitted to, and used by, state and national cancer registries so cancer programs can accurately determine cancer patient populations, measure outcomes of treatment and survival, and formulate plans for improvement. Data are included in numerous publications, including the prestigious Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, a collaboration of the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.
Learn about the Utah Cancer Registry and the work cancer registrars do.